So I've been using a ford f-800 single axle dump & a eager beaver 9 ton tag for my equipment moving needs which has been 19k pounds and under. So far I have a deere 450c, 550g, and a 7 ton takeuchi to move around. I'm at my trailers capacity, and I would like to get a 30-40k pound excavator and move it myself. Question is this, will a 20 ton tag put my over allowable axle weights?
So here is the way I see it ?
I would assume that the F-800 is NOT an air brakes equiped truck ...... I'm pretty positive that you can NOT get a trailer that size without being an air brake set-up..... But if your truck is LUCKY-YOU ! ..............The next thing I would look at is the tire cap under your truck, take the gross rating from all 6 tires and add it up .... also go find a trailer that you like and would possibly buy and check out those tires as well. Find out the empty (Tare weight) of what both truck and new trailer would weigh ..... do your deductions and that'll give you a good idea of what you could carry (Net weight)
That's a pretty basic way to calculate where you are going for totals ........ I know there are gonna be some smart guys out there that will come back with gotta check out axle ratings and blah blah blah ....... But in my experience, USUALLY the axles are rated way higher than what the total cap of the tires are under the rig ... with out seeing your rig up close a guy will never be able to give you the exact answer you're looking for.
Eg:
I have an L-8000 single axle Louiseville tractor (no deck or dump) on air w/11.00x24.5 16 ply rubber, that I have been moving my Cat 312 w/thumb and full guarding that weighs 14.7 metric tonnes, or 32,407 lbs on a pintle hitch tow Trail-King TKT40, which is a tandem axled tilt-deck trailer also with air brakes .... the rubber under the trailer is 255/22.5R 16 ply
I am NEVER over loaded, BUT can never get enough weight on the tractor to prevent spinning out in tough situations (up hill or bad loose gravel or muddy rds, snow, ect.) but because you have a gravel box you can throw your extra buckets or what ever in there to gain traction, but will that put you over in your State ?? .... on wet pavement or dry rds no problem.
The tandems do tow a little harder behind a single axle truck, with the weight you are hoping to tow it tends to want to push you around and will give you some challenges, BUT is do able !
JMHO from a far away Canuck ....LOL ....Good-luck !